by Dr. Chen Man Hin
Prime Minister Najib expressed his intention to make Malaysia a high income country, like the developed countries in Asia. America and Europe.
To reach that status, the per capita income (pci) of a malaysian citizen must be at least US$11,700. presently per capita income is $7500.
Malaysia pci was US500 at independence in 1957. It took 52 years to achieve $7500. can malaysia reach a pci of US 11700 in the year 2020 and fulfill the Vision 2020 dream of Tun Mahathir?
There are five fundamental conditions that Malaysia must possess in order to reach high income status:
1. A united Malaysia where all the races are equal and there is freedom to practise their cultures, religions with equal opportunites in politics, economy and in society.
The whole world is moving towards multiracial and multicultural ethics in most countries. racial tolerance has replaced racial bias and discrimination. The election of Obama as the first black president of USA signifies that racialism is not a problem with world countries anymore.
Unfortunately, Malaysia does not follow a multiracial philosophy. UMNO the dominant ruling party of Barisan espouses a racial policy, that of KETUANAN MELAYU, where the Malays are considered as the master race.
This racial policy have caused disunity and hampered economic and social progress in Malaysia.
Second, a nation aspiring to be developed must be free from corruption. Transparency International reported that Malaysia was number 47 on the corruption perception ranking, compared with Singapore 4th, Hong Kong 12th, Japan 18.
Transparency International Malaysia reported that 76% of the people believe that the government is ineffective in fighting corruption. It stated that the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission was not efficient as it is not an independent body unlike the HK Independent Anti Corruption Commission.
Third. A sound education system is important TO train students to be knowledgeable, to be multilingual and to be trained in science and Information Technology and to produce educated technicians and engineers, and managers for business, commerce, and industries.
Fourth is to have a culture that fosters merit and creativity. A developed country puts great emphasis on intelligence and creativity. It will require citizens who are coached and trained to be creative and to innovate. It will require people who can utilise the country’s resources and turn them into products which are demanded by the markets and world markets.
I would propose that a special ministry of creativity be set up to analyse and study how to increase the research and creativity of bright intelligent students.
Fifth. to instil a discipline of dedication and hard work. This is vital aspect for a person to develop – the ability to work long hours in order to achieve an objective. It is not enough having a good idea or a good plan. Many times it requires plain hard work to turn an idea into productive reality.
PM Najib may have good intentions to make Malaysia a high income developed country. However good intentions are not enough in this case. He must introduce changes in policies and culture to have the five conditions required to change Malaysia into a developed country.
(Speech at the celebration of the 183th anniversary of the Hakka Association in Seremban on 27th sept 2009)